Popular Margaret Falls Trail in the Shuswap reopens

A popular Shuswap trail destroyed by raging floodwaters in 2017 has reopened after extensive upgrades and repairs. The Margaret Falls Trail in Sunnybrae again provides easy access to the stunning waterfall at the end of it.

On Oct. 4, BC Parks announced that the trail, which had been secured with portable fencing and closed to the public, was open once again. Photos of the upgrades show a stone-lined trail with new bridges alongside a creek bed which appears noticeably widened and cleared of fallen trees since the last time the trail was open to the public.

The Margaret Falls Trail was one of the casualties of a string of landslides that struck the Sunnybrae area in the spring of 2017. BC Parks told the Observer that runoff conditions and mudslides in the canyon completely destroyed parts of the half-kilometre trail running along the floor of the gorge that leads to the falls.

According to the Shuswap Trail Alliance, rebuilding the trail was a challenging task for BC Parks as they had to consider the sensitive environment in the gorge and the spring freshet. They had to perform a total rebuild of the trail and the waterfall viewing platform.